The present invention relates to a simple and practical device for preparing film magazines for film developing machines, as well as to a new film magazine adapted to contain films of different sizes and to permit the automatic developing thereof in a film developing machine.
Developing machines for differently sized films are known, and substantially comprise a closed casing into which the films to be developed are introduced from a loading station. The films are hooked or connected in a suitable way to a feeding mechanism which transports such films through a series of tanks containing different chemical treatment baths of conventional types in which the films are progressively treated and developed. Then the films arrive at a subsequent drying station where the developed films are thoroughly dried with conventional means and, finally, the films arrive at a storage station external to the machine where they can be picked up.
In particular, the films which are exposed and are wound around their respective reels are introduced to a preparation station normally adjacent to the loading station. The preparation station is a light-proof station and is provided with flexible tubes for receiving the operator's hands during the handling of such films. From here the films are transferred into a suitable container and thereafter they are connected at their one end to a correspondent "leader" constituted by a sheet of plastic material. Tape is used to join the film and leader on both surfaces of the same. Finally, a self-adhesive label for identifying the film is normally applied on the end of the film. Afterwards, the so prepared film is disposed in a feeding mechanism of the loading station and is engaged by such mechanism so that each leader and the film connected thereto are entrained by the feeding mechanism so as to be moved through the different treatment tanks and the drying and storage stations of the machine.
Instead of the above-mentioned joining method, other film developing machines of conventional kind use a specific type of magazine adapted to contain films of different sizes. These magazines are introduced to the loading station of the machines whereby the films are automatically entrained by the feeding mechanism.
In particular, in the prior art machines the films are loaded in the magazine by always handling the film within the preparation station in the above-mentioned conventional manner.
However, the manner in which the films to be developed must be inserted into the developing machine is inconvenient.
In the machines which do not employ a magazine, the different operations of preparing the films and introducing the films to the feeding mechanism of the loading station of the machines must be carried out with precision in order for the films to be perfectly aligned with the feeding mechanism and thus effectively entrained.
In practice, undesirable inconveniences may occur which may be irreparable. For instance, a casual and unintentional extraction of the film from its respective container may occur, particularly during the transferring thereof from the preparation station to the loading station. In addition, the machines which employ the magazines are limited to handling and developing only films with a pre-established size (at present, exclusively to size 135). Thus, it is impossible to develop films of different sizes in the same conventional machine of this type.